Tateyama City in Chiba Province is located on the southern tip of the Boso Peninsula, here the weather is warm all year-round. Created by nature thirty-kilometer coastline is extraordinarily beautiful and the flow of people wanting to admire it does not run low.
In the Middle Ages these places were ruled by Satomi warlords and here the events described in the work of Takizawa Bakin "Legend of Satomi and Eight Dogs" took place. Until now this land rich in natural beauty has been storing the set of traces of historical events and legends.
Yoshiki Hayashi was born in this city.
After a difficult birth a weak child, who fell ill with child asthma, had been born.
Yoshiki's house was situated in a quiet residential area close to the Tateyama station. His parents kept a small fabric store which they inherited. The family lived in a new home combining the living area and a shop.
Mother dealt with client's accounts and was busy all day long with the numerous customers, dressed in a kimono. Family business was conducted with considerable success.
His parents were busy at work and young Yoshiki grew to be an obedient child most of the time spent with other people who helped in the upbringing. Both at home and in the nursery Yoshiki liked to play alone, almost never naughty. Caregivers and nurses called him "Yo-chan" and loved him as their own.
The poor health of Yoshiki had always been a source of anxiety for his parents.
When the weather changed his condition worsened and even a walk in the fresh air could trigger an asthma attack. To be there if an attack begins Yoshiki`s parents would stay with him all the time. Yoshiki`s Poor health did not improve and asthma attacks took away his last forces. If an attack began it could not be removed immediately, shortness of breath led to the loss of consciousness and often there was a danger to his life.
So many times on having heard the wheezing of little Yoshiki his mother and father rushed to take him to the hospital. This could happen at any time, at night and early in the morning. Yoshiki`s parents sat near his hospital bed for hours without sleep, supporting him during the brutal attacks, rubbing his back and chest.
By features Yoshiki resembled his father very much and he really loved his ailing son.
If it was for Yoshiki his father always bought any expensive toy. His room was filled with toys that his father bought him every day. Amongst them all little Yoshiki loved plush tiger the most. Not only at home but wherever he went he always took this tiger with him.
The love for tigers which emerged during these days had not passed with time. Becoming an adult already, Yoshiki enchanted by paintings and decorations depicting tigers, started his "tiger" collection spending a lot of money.
When there were not attacks and Yoshiki felt good he went with his father for a walk taking the plush tiger with him. Maybe just because he had to behave quietly at home, getting out to the street Yoshiki ran after his father with great joy. Just in ten minute walk from the house there was a coast, where they fished and on weekends went by car to the amusement park. Yoshiki really enjoyed the show of flamingos, which they saw on the island Namegava. He had watched tirelessly and for a long time how beautifully the flock of pink flamingos moved.
As soon as the attacks happened all the fun had to be stopped immediately. Not to mention the fact that it was impossible to go outside, he had to lie for long days enduring torture. The whole family`s nerves were stretched to the limit.
However at approximately four years old Yoshiki being sick often, spending most of the time at home, suddenly said to his mother:
"I want to play the piano."
On hearing this his parents were very much surprised about where such a desire came from, but soon realized what was happening. Not far from the house there was a music school and small Yoshiki often heard the sounds of the piano from there.
To comply with the wishes of his son Yoshiki`s father immediately bought a piano and signed him up for the nearest music class.
When Yoshiki in two minutes reached the place of training, he saw a collie bigger than he himself in the yard and naturally got scared. Holding his breath he walked past it into the classroom. Of course, he was very afraid but the desire to learn piano was stronger than fear.
There were only two boys in this music school, including Yoshiki. He quickly overtook the girls who studied there. Hearing the unfamiliar music, he could immediately pick it up on the piano. After playing 10 minutes, he remembered a melody perfectly.
Yoshiki was far ahead of children 2-3 years older than himself and the teacher praised him openly.
"You are very good at it. Let's move on to more complicated things. "
Although he was not forced Yoshiki selflessly devoted himself to the exercises and sometimes unfamiliar melodies were born out of his fingers.
The same year Yoshiki met the piano a new member came into his family. July 1970 Yoshiki`s younger brother Koki was born.
On seeing his mother home with the baby in her arms, Yoshiki was very surprised at how tiny he was ... Looking at his sleeping baby brother in the crib, he was glad that he would be able to protect him. Mostly Yoshiki was at the piano staying up to his neck in music. Learning new pieces, he forgot about time.
When Yoshiki turned 5 years old he moved from nursery to kindergarten but his health worsened. His peers were playing in the kindergarten but Yoshiki very rarely got the opportunity to join them. Measles and chicken pox all illnesses took difficult course. Yoshiki required thrice as much time as ordinary children for recovery.
Compared with sickly Yoshiki a big active boy - Toshimitsu Deyama attracted attention in the kindergarten immediately.
Toshimitsu born October 10, 1965 was distinguished by a strong constitution and therefore seemed older than his years. He lived in a house a 15-minute`s walk from the house of Yoshiki and went to the same music school. Of course after they had met and exchanged a few words, Yoshiki and Toshimitsu immediately became good friends.
Toshimitsu's mother was a teacher of piano and Toshimitsu grew hearing the sounds of music from the early childhood.
However, moving from junior to secondary school and then to high school, they strengthened the ties of friendship and eventually began to embody their dream together. That time came 13 years after their first meeting in the kindergarten.
Having started studying piano at the age of 4, Yoshiki happily moved forward learning new music and before going to school he resolved firmly:
"I want to become a pianist."
Although it was a purely intuitive solution but it was so firm that it could not be expressed with simple words. Playing the piano filled his heart with pure joy and drew him a future of a pianist.
On April 1972 Yoshiki entered the city junior school Hojo, continuing to be enthusiastically engaged in playing the piano. Focusing more and more at the exercises he rehearsed more complex works of classical music. During this time he began to write down the notes of his own melodies. Staying up to his neck in music he completely forgot about the painful asthma.
Of course in those days when he felt well Yoshiki could enjoy an active life. In summer, he went with friends to the sea to fish and catch crabs or together with his younger brother went to a nearby grove to catch beetles.
But if the attack happened, he had to lie still in bed.
In the living room on the second floor of the store his father and mother in turns watched Yoshiki so as soon as the attack happened they would move him into the next room as the sound of his whistling heavy breathing woke up little brother.
Each time during the attack Yoshiki understood that he differed from other children.
"I'm not like everybody else."
Weakened due to asthma attacks, Yoshiki was slow in his movements, several times found himself in traffic accidents on nearby streets and received serious injuries.
Once he was hit by a car, another time he was caught by a motorcycle. The second time he got severe head and body injuries and was hospitalized, the shock triggering an asthma attack. The time he spent in the hospital increased and therefore he had to stay longer in isolation.
Not only asthma attacks and injuries in traffic accidents were the cause of suffering for Yoshiki. In addition to everything he was diagnosed with a serious food allergy.
It happened when he was in second grade of the elementary school. Grandmother, after a trip to Hawaii brought chocolate with macadamia. Yoshiki ate 4 or 5 boxes at a time and fainted from allergic shock. His mother accidentally found her unconscious son covered with chocolate, mother immediately called an ambulance which took him to the hospital and thus his life was saved. After this it was necessary to follow a strict eating pattern.
Yoshiki had to spend time in the hospital a lot of time. Yoshiki`s Parents often visited him in the hospital which was near the Tateyama station and took great pains to cheer up their son. Tortured by painful injections and constant intake of respiratory medicine with thin arms pierced all over with needles of droppers, Yoshiki only nodded helplessly listening to parents comforts.
Tired of the medical procedures he fell into a pessimistic mood, not typical of the common primary school pupil.
"Bedridden again. And I cannot even play my favorite piano.”
The more he thought about the pleasure of playing the piano, the harder it was to realize that because of being caught up with attack`s exercises had to be interrupted.
When breathing was quite heavy, Yoshiki was lying on his back and could not sleep.
Hoarse sounds escaped his throat, chest hurt and he had to wait until the attack would pass.
"If I stopped breathing at all, it would probably be better" - sometimes occurred to him at such moments.
To somehow encourage the spirit of crumpled his son; father brought to the hospital a lot of gifts. Every day he brought Yoshiki different books, their content was the most diverse but Yoshiki loved to read biographies of great men written for children the most. He re-read the stories about prominent figures, such as the Curies, Edison, Lincoln, Schubert and Beethoven several times. A remarkable biography of the great composer Ludwig van Beethoven made the greatest impression on him.
"If you do not give up, then someday the dream will come true."
Beethoven, losing his hearing, but despite of everything proceeding with unwavering perseverance to write music, was a real hero in the eyes of Yoshiki. In his daily life, attending school or playing with friends Yoshiki compared himself to the great German composer.
"I want to be like Beethoven."
The light of hope awakening in his heart returned to him a child's carelessness.
Because of the numerous absences from classes Yoshiki barely passed to the third grade elementary school. Teachers took into account the fact that progress had been good in his studies and he kept up with classmates. Significant progress was made in the piano lessons too. Yoshiki spent all his time reading books and textbooks and playing the piano almost never leaving the house.
During the annual Piano Concert held in the Music School Yoshiki had attracted much attention. He also played duet on the piano with his younger brother Koki, who at the age of three began to attend the same music school. Standing on a stage and listening to the heavy applause Yoshiki felt extraordinary enthusiasm. He began to dream about playing not only for himself but for the audience.
After that he began to organize performances without the audience at home. Turning off the lights in the room and leaving on only a floor lamp, Yoshiki played his favorite pieces for hours. Playing the piano in the dim light, he imagined himself a professional pianist.
At the age of 8 he had not only listened to the music records but also began to represent himself as an artist, During this time he bought the first vinyl disc.
On his father's stereo player Yoshiki often listened to the recordings of classical pieces. Replenished every month his music library was Yoshiki's treasure but he had not had a chance to buy vinyl discs from his pocket money yet.
In the store he immediately went into the section of classical music and began to examine closely discs standing tightly on a shelf. Finally, he chose one of them, carefully checking the name on the cover. On the one side Beethoven's Symphony number 5 "The Destiny" was recorded on the other - Schubert's Symphony number 8 "Unfinished".
Pressing disc to his chest, Yoshiki returned home, started his father’s stereo player and listened to the recording several times.
Closing his eyes, he imagined the figure of Beethoven conducting a symphony and Schubert performing beautiful melody on the piano. Continuously flowing music fascinated Yoshiki. In his mind's eye he saw beautiful landscapes and faces of people living there. He seemed to daydream.
Soothing came after the excitement, It seemed that the shadows of the great composers of the past gently stroked Yoshiki’s cheek. It seemed that a strong fresh wind was blowing him on.
During this time he clearly understood that the most important thing in his life was music.
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